Katie bignell

Film Festival Strategist & Founder

Katie graduated from Bournemouth Media School with a degree in Scriptwriting for Film & TV. She is also a graduate of the Royal Court Young Writer’s and Invitation Only groups. While pursuing a career in writing upon graduation, she received funding from Arvon Foundation and support from the ICA Lab, as well as mentoring from the Blaine Brothers, Leo Butler, Polly Clark, Fraser Grace and Simon Stephens. Later, Katie worked with several companies to create one-on-one theatrical experiences and site specific narratives, as well as several commissions for theatre companies. Her work was performed at Arcola, Battersea Arts Centre, ICA, Old Vic Tunnels, Theatre503, Southwark Playhouse and Wales Millennium Centre, to name a few.

Over the years she has worked in a marketing capacity for film festivals and industry training events with a particular focus on social media campaign management for creative projects. Some of the festivals she has worked with include East End Film Festival and LOCO – London Comedy Film Festival where she was the Head of Social Media from 2013 to 2016. She also helped create and implement the social media campaign for SKATE at Somerset House several years in a row. In addition she has advised and consulted on multiple successful crowdfunding projects (Kickstarter, Indiegogo, WeFund) for film & theatre projects, and ran campaigns for several debut feature films she would later create and implement festival strategies for.

Katie created Festival Formula after discovering a gap in filmmakers’ knowledge and realising that she could help to manage their time, expectation, and admin levels. After several years of providing the service on a word-of-mouth basis she decided to put writing aside and focus on festival strategy by launching Festival Formula as a brand in 2014, and building it to become the respected and trusted company it is today. To date in the seventeen years (and counting) that she has been working, she is an active member of the Short Film Conference and is also one of the few UK members of the Film Festival Alliance. Katie is also a key spokesperson on festival issues with coverage in The Hollywood Reporter and Screen Daily regarding suspect and fraudulent film festivals. She also created the Filmmaker Lounge in partnership with Film Festival Alliance – an online space for programmers and filmmakers to discuss their roles as a regular webinar format, guests have included Tribeca, Slamdance, Heartland Film, PÖFF Shorts, and many more.

Previous speaking engagements include: HollyShorts, Heartland Film Festival, BFI Flare, Encounters Film Festival, Flickers Rhode Island Film Festival, Sundance, SXSW and many more. Selected prior jury service include: Cleveland International, Heartland International, St. Louis International, DC shorts, Young Directors Awards. She was the co-recipient of the Pioneering Spirit Award alongside her husband Ian Bignell which was awarded by Heartland Film, and the company received the award for Outstanding Contribution to Film from London Breeze Film Festival in 2024.

Katie is involved in the day-to-day running of the company including activities such as creation of festival strategies, client outreach, sponsorship collaboration discussions, and festival & industry appearances with a view to expand the company’s growth and brand reach. She also trains and supervises the rest of the team members, and is a leading industry voice.